I dont think the 82 game regular season is too long. That is typical for a sport like that. Hockey too when its being played has 82 games.
  What one might want to do, although less teams may make it, would be to say, shorten the playoffs. Have a system where instead of eight teams from each conference making it, do it like baseball where you have three divisions in each conference, a division champ in each, and a wild card. Have a four team playoff in each conference for the first round, and then a conference championship series, similar to the League Championship Series in baseball, and then the NBA finals, with the season finishing in May instead of June. It may be less interesting for teams on the bubble like eighth place seed teams, but it would make the NBA finals end in May instead of late June.
  Only my view, dont know if others agree. Maybe you could shorten the Regular Season, but I wouldnt. I'd do it like baseball does.
                Mitch